Ravi Bopara should only play in the final Test at The Oval if the selectors believe he still feels positive about his game. Photograph: William West/AFP/Getty Images

Don't panic, said Andrew Strauss after that thrashing in Headingley, and he's absolutely right. Only two Tests ago, England won at Lord's, and then at Edgbaston they were dominant until the last day. They should also think back to Lord's in 2005 when Australia skittled us twice and appeared to be rampant. Sure, alarm bells will be ringing after an innings defeat but now is the time for England to remind themselves that victory at The Oval will bring them the Ashes.

That's the easy bit. The tricky part will be turning things round after Australia did as they pleased in Leeds. There are plenty of concerns for Strauss to look at over the next week or so, not least the form of Ravi Bopara at No3. The way he got out in the first innings told me he isn't sure whether to attack or defend – it's a terrible position for a batter to be in, because it feels as if you've lost your bearings.

England may decide that Bopara has now hit rock bottom and has got nothing to lose. In a strange kind of way that can be an advantage: just go out there and bat and tell yourself that the only way is up. But the key will be the Essex batsman's state of mind, and that's what makes being a selector such a difficult job at times. The management will need to look him in the eye and be honest about what they see. If they detect a sense of hopelessness, now could be the time to give Bopara a break.

It's crucial that there's no false bravado on his part. Everyone needs to be up front and spot the signs: sometimes it can just be a word over breakfast that reveals a guy's state of mind. I remember when we had to drop Geraint Jones back in 2006. The poor guy didn't want to admit he needed a break and sometimes players wait for you to make the decision for them, which is understandable. If Bopara's still feeling positive, in spite of everything that's happened to him in this series, England should stick with him.

If he's not, then Rob Key is the man to bring in because I wouldn't risk Jonathan Trott in the top three. It's not as straightforward a pick as some people seem to be suggesting – a player's stature always seems to improve when he's not actually in the side. But Key definitely likes a scrap and he loves to take on the Aussies. I saw that combative attitude in a couple of innings he played in Australia in 2002-03 – the mental side of his game is definitely there.

As for the rest of the middle order, let's just go easy. We don't want to return to the bad old days of English selection where a guy gets dropped after one poor match, which is what people are talking about with Ian Bell. He made a half-century under great pressure at Edgbaston, so give him a chance.

Paul Collingwood had a bad game too but he has shown fight at the right time in this series. Without his efforts at Cardiff, the Ashes might already be gone. Believe me, Australia know Collingwood is the backbone of that middle order, so they will do everything they can to try and break him – just like Shane Warne tried and failed to do in 2006-07. But he's consistently stood up to them. England need his fighting spirit at The Oval more than ever.

The truth is, though, it's going to be tough for England without Kevin Pietersen and possibly Andrew Flintoff. No side in the world could cope with losing those two and England must be more decisive this time about when they make their decision on Flintoff: it has to be four or five days before The Oval, not four or five hours.

Without him in the attack, England lack an enforcer and a leader. The selectors must have hoped Steve Harmison would do the job as a senior player with something to prove, but I never felt comfortable with his selection at Headingley. It's hard to go back on that decision now, especially with the bounce The Oval usually provides, so it's up to Harmison to prove us all wrong.

One final thought. A year ago Justin Langer was singing the praises of the English game. Now he's belittled it with his dossier. What better time than in an Ashes-deciding Test match for England's cricketers to show they're anything but "lazy" and "shallow"?